The Raw Brownie Revolution

Lately ive been feeling like ive lost my cooking mojo - just feeling uninspired (i usually love cooking). So on the weekend i decided to try a few things i'd seen around the traps lately - one of which being the raw brownie which i had seen here & here - origionating from here! I have to say it does live up to the hype! The 5 ingrediants being dates, almonds, walnuts & pure cacao all have great health benifits (read about them on My New Roots where the recipie origionated)- but watch out - they are still high calorie...but in an antioxidant rich kinda way ;) I may never make brownies the old way again!

Id love to hear any more of your favourite healthy recipies as im now on the 6 month countdown (as of last friday!) to our wedding & trying to be more disiplined (what can i say - i love cheese & wine!).

xx

Dinner party anyone?

I bought myself the Fleur Wood, 'Food Fashion & Friends' book on the weekend - its fantastic! Supercool styling & great recipes. Broken into about 8 different theme'd dinner parties, picnics & high tea style themes. The book itself is gorgeous too, great graphic design & the cover has a beautiful texture. Straight to the coffee table!

Its got me in the mood for a dinner party!  

Here are some tables that make you want to entertain! 

Snippet & Ink

a-mazing!

(jonas peterson photogrpahy)

House of Turquoise

How to store perfume..

Are you a perfume horder with one for every day on display? Or are you like me & use one bottle till its finished & move onto the next? Ive just finished 3 lots of Gucci Flora which i LOVE and have moved onto a bottle of Vera Wang Princess (my nanna gave it to me after we got engaged). I also adore KAI - its not easy to find but its stocked at Mecca & has the most amazing gardenia scent. Whats your favourite?

I read a really interesting article in a recent Madison Magazine about fragrance & perfumes. It included a section on the optimum way to store your perfume, and its not what you really want to hear....

"Keep your fragrances, including perfume, eau de parfum, cologne and eau de toilette away from heat. Most importantly, protect them from direct light, especially sunlight. Light affects the chemical makeup of a fragrance and will change its color which affects the dynamics of how it combines (so that means that keeping our beautiful perfumes out on display is really not the best idea - i think im going to have to ignore this advice! Interetsing though!) Perfume also hates humidy - so the bathroom is not the best place for it (damn - thats where mine lives!).

 It is best to keep the fragrances in their original containers, if possible, and with the tops tightly closed to avoid exposure to air. If given a choice, opt for bottles with spray dispensers as opposed to ones with open tops or roller balls. Spray dispensers better protect the fragrance from exposure to dirt, dust and air, and have a longer shelf life, too. Don't be too quick to throw away bottles of perfume that you think may be too old to use, as long as they have been stored properly over the years.

Tiffany Blue in the kitchen

gorgeous gorgeous

(& the same colour as yesterdays shoes!)

loving the striped rug in this space too - really makes it pop!

Wedding Wednesday - Something Blue?

super cool...and my fav colour....

The Art Of Giving

Love this idea for wrapping up a bottle of champas!

Use a tea towel or  go & buy some fabric you like & cut it into squares, then the recipient can drink the champas & then use the tea towel to clean up after the party :)

Food for thought (or thoughts about food?)

I love these sentiments - i was reminded of this over the weekend down the south coast. Ben thinks im a weirdo, but i am obsessed with buying fresh produce from stands on the side of the road & then going home & cooking it up! I love the idea that its fresh & your directly supporting the person who grew it! I wish more people in the city sold produce on the side of the road!

Flowers + Makeup

Sorry about the 2nd wedding related post in a row! Heading down south again this weekend to tick off a few more wedding tasks! Today we are heading to Berry to check out some potential brunch spots for the day after the wedding (any suggestions anyone???) then meeting the florist in Nowra to talk boquets - i feel very lucky that this gorgeous florist is in the area we are getting married in, cause there aint alot down there!

Check out their divine website The Shady Fig how cute is it!

Then on Saturday im sending the man out for a bike ride while i have a makeup trial with a local lady suggested to us by our (very cool) celebrant - makeup is something im a bit unsure about...I know what i want it to look like but in the past when ive had makeup done t it never really comes out how you want it (i dont want to look like a drag queen on my wedding day please!)...i toyed with the idea of doing it myself (if Kate Middleton can so can i right? then again i heard she didnt really do it herself...), but makeup isnt something im great at & i think on your wedding day you may aswell get a pro to do it and you want it to stay on! So, we will see how it goes!

Would be nice to feel pampered on wedding morning with someone doing your makeup too right?

Nars - love it! Got quite embarrassed once when i asked my future in laws to pick me up an Orgasm (blush) on their trip to tthe states! haha

And how the hell do you find the perfect shade of lippie?

Wedding Wednesday - Bridesmaids

I cant believe how hard its been for me to get my head around what i want to do for bridesmaids dresses! Its seriously been 10 times harder than finding my own dress! I think the problem is that there are SO many great dresses around in lots of styles/colours i like - how do you choose one?! Anyway thought i'd share some pics from my 'inspiration folder' for bridesmaids ideas! I really love pale colours at the moment thats one thing i do know!

Jose Villa

Chanel

Real Weddings

Love the pale colours (& no i dont have this many bridesmaids lol)

How amazing are these Lisa Ho bridesmaids dresses - divine!

 I spy Christian Louboutins! How cool!

So cute!

Ruffled (how rock & roll is this chick!)

Great colours again - so light & pretty

OMG - I die - i love this whole look!

Lace, sparkles, the earrings, chic hair & the lippie!

(via the embellishment)

Ellie Saab .....If i was rich......

A bit of colour to break up the pale dress is cute!

Elizabeth Fillmore

Everything about this image is amazing!

Also love me some ruffles!

Words of Wisdom....

Found this the other day & liked it -


1. Master one or two excellent meals for when guests are invited to dinner that leave you confident that the meal will be a success.


2. Before saying yes to a new job, responsibility or time commitment, make sure you have the time and the passion to do the best job you possibly can. By stepping back for a moment and evaluating, you’ll save yourself stress and frustration that could have been avoided.


3. Maintain discipline. Upon deciding to do something, do it – complete the task. Unless you’re in deathly pain, finish what you had intended to do, and in doing so you will gain confidence, strength and a healthier physique.
4. Accept that a project may take longer than expected or cost a bit more than originally budgeted. Be willing to complete a task to the best of your ability even if it takes longer than expected. You’ll be much happier in the long run.


 5. At work, always do the best you can and put forth positive energy, ideas and an outlook on projects that is infectious for creating a more healthy and productive work environment.


6. As long as you know you’re doing your best, don’t beat yourself up when you make a mistake or fall short of your goal. The only regrets are instances where we know that we could have given more of our best selves or should have done something, but took the easy road. As long as you know in your heart you did the best at the time, learn from the lesson and move forward.

7. Don’t waste time. When asked to do something, or trying to complete something that is on your to-do list, get it done, do it well and move on. Procrastinating is not going to make the task disappear.


8. Immerse yourself in relaxation. Carve out down time and allow yourself to savour it. Those who can truly let themselves relax will be energised and able to put their best self forward when it’s time to get busy.

9. Be pro-active and preventative. Make dentist appointments every 6 months, have your tyres rotated every 3 months along with your oil. Taking care of your health and things you rely on to live your life while they’re in working order will save much heartache and money down the road.

10. Take care of what you have or are responsible for. And if you don’t have the time to take care of it or be responsible for it, then say no.

11. Take care of you. Sleep 6-9 hours each night. Exercise regularly. Eat a balance diet and in proper proportions. Give. Find balance. Achieve financial security. Wash your make-up off each night. Drink more water. Exercise your mind.


12. Be the exception and set a positive example. The beautiful thing that many don’t realise is that when you’re giving your best consistently, you’ll eventually see very positive results.


“ Excellence can be obtained if you:
…care more than others think is wise;
…risk more than others think is safe;
…dream more than others think is practical;
…expect more than others think is possible. ”

The simply luxurious life Via A Minute Away from Snowing